Ranger Corps
The Ranger Corps is a group of men whose duty it is to defend the kingdom of Araluen . History The Ranger Corps was founded during King Herbert's reign, 150 years before the events of The Ruins of Gorlan . King Herbert is also known as the founder of modern Araluen. The Ranger Corps was reformed by Halt and Crowley after Halt left Hibernia, to provide a service to the King. They are considered an elite intelligence and reconnaissance force. During the later rein of King Oswald a number of amibitious barons started to take over the ruling of the country because the king's mind was old and starting to go. They had King Duncan sent to a far corner of Araluen and then started to get rid of the more loyal, and to them, dangerous rangers such as Crowley's mentor Pritchard and had other loyal rangers sent far away from Araluen Fief so they wouldn't interfere with their plans to rule over the country. Crowley and Halt meet during this time, both were Pritchard's pupils and taught as rangers should be, together they decided to revitalise the ranger corps and bring an end to the barons slowly taking over the country and making it fall into ruin. There are 51 rangers, one for each fief (Except for Redmont, which has two: Will Treaty and Halt O'Carrick). A few of the most notable rangers are Halt of Northern Redmont Fief, Gilan of Whitby, Commandant Crowley, and Will Treaty of Southern Redmont. Attire Rangers wear a mottled grey-green camoflagued cloak with a dull blue tunic on underneath. The cloak has a heavy, deep cowl which, when pulled over the head leaves the ranger's face in deep shadow aiding in concealment of both expression, activity, and is necessary to use the cloak effectively to blend into the surroundings. They wear light-weight, soft-soled leather boots, which prove useful when stealth-walking. On their belt they wear a double-scabbard with their throwing and saxe knife placed alongside one another in it. They carry a quiver of arrows on their back. Around their necks they wear a metal oakleaf on a chain, bronze for apprentices, silver for fully-fledged Rangers and gold for retired Rangers. Gear They are all best known for the long bows they carry and twenty-four arrows in their quiver plus an extras in their saddlebag. Rangers are extremly accurate with their longbows and can shoot rapidly with accuracy. A Ranger's main tasks include reconnaissance, intelligence, assassination, anti-crime detail, situational intervention, and special operations. They also wield a throwing knife, a heavy bladed saxe knife, the strikers. List of Ranger Gear *Longbow (Recurve bow for apprentices) along with a quiver stocked with 24 arrows. *Saxe Knife *Throwing Knife *Arrows(no duh) *Sword (only possessed by one Ranger) *Strikers *Northseekers *Double scabbards *Shotgun *Sniper Rife *Lightsaber *Dual Pistols *M1 Abrams *F-15 *C4 Explosives *Sugar Cookie *Donuts *Big Mac Skills *''' Stealth''' - Rangers are incredibly stealthy and many believe that they practice the dark arts, though this is not true. They achieve their far-famed stealth through years of rigorous training and camouflage cloaks. *'Archery' - all Rangers are accomplished archers, having a standard of shooting that is achieved only by few. *Tactical Thinking - all Rangers are taught to be tacticians as they are often called into situations which involvle the need for tactical thinking. *'Knife Throwing' - all Rangers use knives, placed on their belts in a special double-scabbard, containing a useful saxe knife and throwing knife. *'Double Knife Defense' - The double knife defense involves the Rangers using their two knives to defend themselves against swordsmen. It does not appear to be used often. *'Horse Riding' - it is necessary that all Rangers are proficient horse riders and every one of them owns a horse specially trained for their line of work. *'Fitness' - being a Ranger is a physically demanding task, requiring high levels of fitness and training. *Flight School Training- Must know how to fly F-15's.( Even though they didn't exist back then). Training Main Article: Ranger Training Occasionally, one of the older and more experienced rangers take themselves an apprentice when they see someone with the potential to fulfill the demanding role of a ranger. The apprentices taken are usually around fifteen but may be taken at a younger age. For five years they are training and regularly assessed at the annual Ranger Gathering by a number of rangers who are delegated that task. They are first assessed a number of months after first being taken on as an apprentice and if they pass are given their bronze oakleaf. In the Ruins of Gorlan however, Halt gives Will is oakleaf early and without the assessment due to his apprentice's skill and the fact that he won't be assessed properly for a while due to the war . Over these five years the apprentice ranger is gradually given more and more responsibilities and missions to carry out and handle until they are believed ready to be made a full ranger and given their silver oakleaf. Techniques There are numerous techniques developed or adapted by rangers over the years since their formation. One such technique is called 'Look. Shout. Shoot'. One Ranger looks for tracks, whilst the other keeps watch other the ranger tracking at a distance. If a person is spotted who looks to be a danger to the tracker, the watcher shouts to warn the other Ranger who is tracking. The Ranger tracking immediately drops to the ground, and at the same time the other Ranger shoots the person if they are a danger. This is employed in Halt's Peril by Will and Halt. List of Known Rangers The rangers whose names appear in italic text are retired rangers. The ones that are underlined are apprentices. *''Alun'' *Andross *''Bartell'' *''Berrigan'' *Clarke *Crowley *''Geldon'' *Gilan *Halt O'Carrick *Harrison *Liam *Meralon *Merron *Nick *''Pritchard'' *Skinner *Stuart *Will Treaty *Will Farell *Bear Grills Trivia *John Flanagan got inspiration for the Ranger's from a real military group called Ranger's.﻿ *In Dutch the Rangers are called Grijze Jagers wich means Grey Hunters. *In Polish the Rangers are called "Zwiadowcy" which means "Scouts". *He also had inspiration from the Lotr group called the Rangers who share the camoflage cloak, longbow, and elite status. ﻿ Category:Rangers Category:Leaders Category:Leadership Positions Category:Protagonists Category:Groups Category:Araluans Category:Rangers Category:Leaders Category:Leadership Positions Category:Protagonists Category:Groups Category:Araluans